Decision No. 23/2001/QD-TTg on approving the National Action Program for Children in Vietnam for the period 2001-2010

Pursuant to …;

Regarding the approval of the National Action Program forchildren in Vietnam during the period of

2001 – 2010

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PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Government Organization Law dated September 30, 1992;

Based on the Law on Protection, Care, and Education of Children dated August 12, 1991;

Considering the proposal of the Minister and Head of the Committee for Child Protection and Care of Vietnam at Report No. 03/TTr-BVCSTE dated February 12, 2001,

DECISION:

Article 1Approves the "National Action Program for Children in Vietnam during the period of 2001-2010" with the following main contents:

1. General Objective: To create the best possible conditions to fully meet the needs and basic rights of children, prevent and reduce risks of harm to children, build a safe and healthy environment for Vietnamese children to have opportunities for protection, care, education, and comprehensive development in all aspects, and to lead a better life.

2. Specific Objectives:

a) On health and nutrition:

Reduce the infant mortality rate under one year old to 30% of live births in 2005 and below 25% in 2010; reduce the child mortality rate under five years old to 36% in 2005 and below 32% in 2010; reduce the maternal mortality rate related to childbirth to 80/100,000 in 2005 and below 70/100,000 in 2010.

Reduce the malnutrition rate of children under five years old in the form of low weight (weight-for-age) to below 25% in 2005 and below 20% in 2010; reduce the malnutrition rate of children under five years old in the form of stunting (height-for-age) by an average of 1.5% per year.

b) On clean water and environmental sanitation:

Ensure that 80% of rural population have access to safe water by 2005 and 85% by 2010; 85% of urban population have access to safe water by 2005 and 90% by 2010; 50% of rural households and communities have access to improved sanitation facilities by 2005 and 70% by 2010; 70% of urban households and communities have access to improved sanitation facilities by 2005 and 90% by 2010.

c) On basic education:

Consolidate achievements in eradicating illiteracy and universalizing primary education; complete universalization of lower secondary education nationwide by 2010; improve the quality of teachers at all levels; fundamentally and comprehensively reform educational content and methods; strengthen infrastructure and equipment serving teaching and practice.

Early Childhood Education: The enrollment rate of 5-year-old children in kindergarten reaches 85% in 2005 and 95% in 2010.

Primary Education: The enrollment rate of school-aged children reaches 97% in 2005 and 99% in 2010; the graduation rate of primary school students reaches 85% in 2005 and 95% in 2010; 80% of children from particularly difficult circumstances complete primary school and the rest complete grade 3 by 2010; there will be no children entering age 15 who are illiterate by 2010.

Lower Secondary Education: The graduation rate of lower secondary school students reaches 72% in 2005 and 75% in 2010.

d) On child protection:

Protect children from being harmed by social evils; prevent violence against children; oppose all forms of discrimination against children; prevent children from being injured in accidents.

Ensure that 80% of orphaned children without guardians are cared for by 2005 and 100% by 2010.

Reduce to the lowest possible level the number of children injured in accidents.

Strengthen care for disabled and handicapped children: The surgery rate for children with cleft lip and palate reaches 90% in 2005 and 95% in 2010; the support rate for disabled children to recover functions reaches 65% in 2005 and 70% in 2010.

For children in special circumstances: The number of children living on the streets and engaged in heavy and hazardous labor decreases by 70% in 2005 and 90% in 2010; the number of children subjected to sexual abuse and trafficking decreases gradually by 2005 and significantly by 2010; the number of children addicted to drugs decreases by 70% in 2005 and 90% in 2010; the number of children committing serious crimes decreases by 70% in 2005 and 90% in 2010.

Prevent to reduce to the lowest possible level the number of children infected with HIV and suffering from AIDS. The registration rate of children under five years old reaches 80% in 2005 and 90% in 2010.

e) On culture and recreational activities for children:

By 2005, 50% and by 2010, 100% of communes and wards organize cultural and recreational facilities for children, of which 40% and 50% respectively meet standards by 2005 and 2010; by 2005, 75% and by 2010, 100% of districts and counties organize and manage cultural and recreational facilities for children.

Increase the number of children participating in club activities, engaging in healthy social activities, and voluntarily participating in beneficial cultural and social activities.

3. Main Measures:

a) Strengthen the leadership of Party committees at all levels and the guidance of local authorities in child-related work, especially in areas with ethnic minorities, mountainous regions, islands, and economically and socially disadvantaged areas, effectively preventing children from being harmed by social evils. Effectively perform state management functions.

b) Develop and perfect the legal system and policies, promote socialization in child protection, care, and education.

Study, amend, and supplement the Law on Child Protection, Care, and Education and other relevant legal documents to submit to competent authorities for approval; amend and supplement policies to effectively implement children's rights, including policies to enhance children's physical fitness and policies to care for disabled and orphaned children without guardians; issue preferential policies in healthcare and education for children from poor families, ethnic minority children, mountainous region children, island children, and children from economically and socially disadvantaged areas.

Issue policies to mobilize the strength of the entire society to participate in child protection, care, and education: policies to encourage families to play their roles and responsibilities in protecting, caring for, and educating their children; policies to support and encourage the creation of safe and healthy family and community environments; policies to encourage organizations and individuals both within and outside the country to participate in supporting the implementation of programs for children (including participation in providing basic social services to families and children).

c) Strengthen communication and social mobilization work.

Strengthen communication and social mobilization work with appropriate content and forms for each region, area, and group of subjects to contribute to enhancing awareness and responsibility of families, schools, state agencies, economic organizations, social organizations, and all citizens in the work of protecting, caring for, and educating children. Pay special attention to counseling, consultation, social work, and direct mobilization activities for families and community residents regarding skills in protecting, caring for, and educating children. Focus communication-education activities on areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, mountainous regions, islands, and areas with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions, or those with limited groups in fulfilling their responsibilities towards children.

d) Strengthen inspection and supervision work.

Establish a mechanism for close cooperation among sectors and levels in organizing inspections, supervision, and evaluation of the implementation of children's rights and the objectives of the Program.

đ) Funding for implementation.

The funding for implementing the Program is allocated within the annual budget estimates of relevant Ministries, sectors, and localities. In addition to state budget sources, relevant Ministries, sectors, and localities shall proactively create all conditions to mobilize financial support from organizations and individuals both domestically and internationally.

e) International cooperation.

Promote international cooperation activities to mobilize resources to support the implementation of the Program.

g) Enhance the quality of information and data on children.

Enhance the capacity to collect, process, and provide information and data on children to meet the requirements for evaluating the results of the Program's implementation; advise and plan policies on children.

h) Training and research.

Improve the quality of training for cadres at all levels and sectors engaged in child protection, care, and education work to meet the requirements for implementing the Program. Inherit and promote scientific research to serve policy advice and planning on child protection, care, and education.

Article 2. Implementing organization.

1. The National Committee for Child Protection and Care shall take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Training, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Finance, other relevant ministries and sectors, and People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities to organize and implement the Program.

2. The National Committee for Child Protection and Care shall base on this Program, take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors and People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities to develop and implement national action plans every five years in line with the country's socio-economic development plans; guide, inspect, supervise, and compile reports on the Program's implementation annually to report to the Prime Minister; conduct mid-term reviews of the Program's implementation in 2005 and final evaluations in 2010; take the lead and coordinate with the General Statistics Office to assess and analyze the situation of achieving the Program's objectives concerning children.

3. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall take the lead and coordinate with the National Committee for Child Protection and Care, the General Statistics Office, and relevant ministries and sectors to incorporate targets on child protection, care, education, and development into the national socio-economic development plans annually and every five years; integrate activities of related international cooperation programs (especially the Vietnam-UNICEF Cooperation Program) with the Program's activities in a way that prioritizes investment in children with disabilities, orphaned children without guardianship, children from poor families, children infected with HIV/AIDS, children from ethnic minorities, and children in particularly difficult circumstances; include some indicators on children's rights in the list of annual socio-economic development indicators of the State.

4. The Ministry of Finance shall take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the National Committee for Child Protection and Care, and relevant ministries and sectors, and localities to develop annual financial plans, including the ability to mobilize resources outside the state budget, to implement the Program's objectives and tasks; guide relevant ministries and sectors and localities in using funds for the Program's implementation.

5. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to publicize and mobilize resources from foreign government and non-governmental organizations and United Nations organizations to support the Program's implementation.

6. Based on this Program, the Ministries of Health, Education and Training, Culture, Sports and Tourism, Public Security, Agriculture and Rural Development, Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, and other relevant ministries and sectors shall develop and implement annual and five-year action plans to achieve the Program's objectives; incorporate children's targets into their long-term and short-term plans and allocate appropriate resources to implement relevant Program objectives.

7. Based on this Program, People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities shall incorporate targets on child protection, care, education, and development into their long-term and short-term socio-economic development plans; promote nationwide movements and family efforts to protect, care for, and educate children; develop and implement (including budget allocation) annual and five-year action plans consistent with local socio-economic development plans and compile and report periodically annually to the Minister, Head of the National Committee for Child Protection and Care.

8. Propose the Vietnam Fatherland Front and its member organizations, and social organizations to participate in implementing the Program within their scope of activities.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect fifteen days after the date of signature.

Article 4. The Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of government agencies, and Chairpersons of provincial People's Committees and municipal People's Committees directly under the Central Government are responsible for enforcing this Decision./.